Urban Lab 2017

The 2017 Urban Lab took place in Madrid and Tallinn. The participants of both residencies created new work around the central theme of Cartographies.The resulting projects were shown in the respective cities at the end of both residencies as well as at Urban Photo Fest 2017 in London. The combined exhibition entitled Mediating Space - Cartographies of Madrid and Tallinn featured a limited edition publication showcasing the work of all the participants accompanied by audio by each artist.

What is it?

The Urban Lab is week-long visual urbanism residency. A programme of walks and talks, practice and theory will be carried out over the course of 7 days. The week will culminate in an exhibition of all the resulting work. Additionally a selection of the projects have the chance to be shown in London as part of the Urban Photo Fest 2017 'Cartographies' exhibition curated by Urbiquity.

The Urban Lab residency creates experiences where urbanists from around the world can learn from and add to the local urban discourse. By learning about the specific urban struggles facing the city that derive from their specific geopolitical context, the participants will create new projects around the theme 'Cartographies'. Urbiquity has created a week long programme for this exact purpose which includes talks, seminars, walks and urban interventions.

Maps combine both science and art. Having to convey accurate information on one part and also utilise an aesthetic solution that presents the data in the best way possible. As a research method cartography aims to effectively interpret spatial data. As such it can represent both physical and more abstract borders. In addition to conventional mapmaking cartography has also proven particularly useful as an experimental method in researching the city. Among others it has notably been used by the situationists in conjunction with the practice of the derive.

The output of the urban lab is the co-created visual and physical material resulting from the studies and experiments carried out over the course of the residency. On the other hand the talks and workshops also contribute to the process of creating new discourse in the city - introducing new approaches and forging new contacts. The final curated exhibition is an opportunity for the participants to experiment and showcase their work in a highly professional context in the respective cities as well as part of the Urban Photo Fest 2017 official programme.

Mediating Space - Cartographies of Madrid and Tallinn

The exhibition showcases the work produced as part of the 2017 Madrid and Tallinn Urbiquity Urban Labs.

By learning about the specific urban struggles facing these cities that derive from their specific geopolitical context, each participant took their own approach to the central theme of 'Cartographies'. The final result is a multitude of views on the inner functionings of both cities. Fresh perspectives and intricate local knowledge clash in the best of ways and inform each other.

The Urbiquity Urban Lab is a residency programme which aims to create synergies between local and foreign actors in various cities. The Urbiquity team is both a facilitator as well as a full fledged participant in the entire residency. The main ethos of the residencies is having a horizontal structure which is flexible and allows each participant to feel in charge of their own time as well as the potential of the group.